The present invention relates generally to oil, natural gas and other substances that are encountered in connection with petroleum exploration. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for collecting and analyzing particular soil gases which accumulate in the soil above a subterranean deposit of oil and/or natural gas.
An earlier, more primitive version of apparatus for soil gas collection and subsequent chromatographic analysis seen in the F. L. Boys, U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,792. Boys discloses the use of a chromatographic column, lined with molecular sieve material, to identify and quantify the hydrocarbon present in the sample. The soil gas passes into the chromatographic column via a valve, is separated and passed directly to a detector where the amount and character of hydrocarbon gases are determined. The present invention improves on the Boys apparatus by eliminating the need for passing the gas sample directly into the chromatographic column. The apparatus of the present invention provides a gas collector and concentrator which may be detached from the field sampling apparatus and transported to a laboratory for proper analysis of the gases present in the tested soil.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide apparatus that extracts, collects and concentrates soil gases of particular interest from below the earth's surface and maintains those gasses free from contamination until they are purposefully released for analysis in a properly equipped laboratory away from the field environment.
It is a further purpose and object of the invention to provide a method of extracting, collecting and concentrating soil gases of particular interest and subjecting those gases to analysis at a location removed from the field where the extraction took place.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent on a reading of the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.